Nuclear Theory·nucl-th

Monday·May 18, 2026

8 papers—3 primary·5 cross-listed

04
[Submitted on 14 May 2026] (cross-list from hep-ph)
Sivers Tomography from Charge and Angle Only
Haotian Cao🇺🇸 · Xiaohui Liu🇨🇳 · Frank Petriello🇺🇸
We propose a one-point charge-correlator (OPCC) probe of the Sivers effect in back-to-back deep-inelastic scattering. This measurement uses only the signs and directions of charged tracks, with no calorimetric or particle-identification information required. The observable weights the final state by its electric charge and measures the azimuthal correlation between the charge flow and the transverse spin of the proton. This probe is shown to be IRC finite and admits a factorization involving the usual Sivers distribution and a perturbatively calculable charge-weighted jet function for small transverse seperation $b ≪ Λ_{QCD}^{- 1}$ , with no reliance on non-perturbative fragmentation functions or track functions due to charge conservation. We validate the factorization against the full fixed-order QCD and present resummed predictions at N$^3$LL accuracy for the unpolarized distribution and N$^2$LL for the Sivers asymmetry. The OPCC provides a theoretically clean and simple experimental measurement, and establishes a charge-and-angle measurement paradigm for spin physics at a future Electron-Ion Collider.
Comments:
5 pages, 4 figures
Subjects:
High Energy Physics — Phenomenology (hep-ph); High Energy Physics — Experiment (hep-ex); Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
arXiv:
2605.15280 [pdf]
4 citations
05
[Submitted on 15 May 2026] (cross-list from hep-ph)
Forward hadron production in pp collisions at LHC energies from an event generator based on the color glass condensate framework
Hirotsugu Fujii🇯🇵 · Tetsufumi Hirano🇯🇵 · Kazunori Itakura🇯🇵 · Yasushi Nara🇯🇵 · Shujun Zhao🇯🇵
We investigate inclusive forward single-hadron production in high-energy proton--proton collisions using a CGC-inspired Monte Carlo event generator, MC-CGC. We carried out a systematic study of the sensitivity of the running-coupling Balitsky-Kovchegov (rcBK) evolution equation to its initial conditions by comparing three parameterizations: the McLerran-Venugopalan (MV) model and its two HERA DIS-constrained variants, MV $^{γ}$ and MV $^{e}$ . Our results indicate that the current LHCb data favor the MV $^{γ}$ and MV $^{e}$ models, while the differences from the original MV model become more pronounced at higher transverse momentum and at mid-rapidity. As a complementary analysis, we also compared the dilute-dense (DHJ factorization) and dense-dense ( $k_{T}$ factorization) frameworks. We found that the $k_{T}$ factorization framework provides a better description of the particle production spectra at mid-rapidity than the DHJ framework, where both the projectile and target are in the dense regime at LHC energies. Predictions for the FoCal measurements at ALICE, including the production of identified neutral mesons and jets, are also presented.
Comments:
13 pages, 13 figures
Subjects:
High Energy Physics — Phenomenology (hep-ph); Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex); Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
arXiv:
2605.15494 [pdf]
2 citations
06
[Submitted on 15 May 2026] (cross-list from nucl-ex)
Muon Nuclear Data Development Project
Yukinobu Watanabe · Megumi Niikura · Shinichiro Abe · Sayani Biswas · Hiroki Iwamoto · Adrian Hillier · Naritoshi Kawamura · Shoichiro Kawase · Teiichiro Matsuzaki · Futoshi Minato · Rurie Mizuno · Dai Tomono · Yuji Yamaguchi
Negative muon-induced nuclear reactions play a critical role in a wide range of scientific and technological applications; however, comprehensive nuclear data for these processes remain unavailable. To address this gap, we have launched the Muon Nuclear Data (muND) Development Project in Japan, aiming to construct a dedicated data library for muon capture reactions. The library consists of four sub-libraries: muonic X-ray energies and intensities (XR), lifetimes of muonic atoms and nuclear capture rates (LT), energy spectra of emitted particles (ES), and production branching ratios of residual nuclei (BR). This project integrates experimental measurements, theoretical modeling, and machine learning techniques to compile and evaluate the data. We report the current status and recent progress of each sub-library.
Comments:
4 pages, 1 figure. Submitted to the proceedings of the 16th Nuclear Data for Science and Technology Conference (ND2025)
Subjects:
Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex); Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
arXiv:
2605.15539 [pdf]
0 citations
07
[Submitted on 15 May 2026] (cross-list from physics.plasm-ph)
Advances in laser-assisted nuclear decay and nuclear excitation
Q. Xiao · J. H. Cheng · Y. Y. Xu · Y. T. Zou · Z. Z. Ren · A. Ya. Dzyublik · T. P. Yu
From the synthesis and evolution of the elements to the celestial nuclear processes of stellar explosions and neutron star mergers, nuclear physics is the foundation of our understanding of the universe. After more than a century of progress, the field of nuclear physics remains vibrant. The rapid advancement of laser technology has opened unprecedented avenues in nuclear physics, driven by the interdisciplinary convergence of laser physics, nuclear structure, plasma science, and quantum dynamics. This emerging field enables studies on laser-induced nuclear excitation, laser assisted nuclear decay, and precision manipulation of nuclear isomers for optical clocks. This review comprehensively examines the research achievements over the past decade regarding the influence of lasers on radioactive charged particle emissions and nuclear excitation. Regarding theoretical developments, the review details various methods used to evaluate the interactions between lasers and nuclei, including the time-dependent Schrödinger equation for $α$ decay, proton radioactivity, and two-proton radioactivity and Fermi's golden rule for nuclear excitation as well as the application and advancement of various theoretical models and approximation methods. In experimental research, the review synthesizes significant breakthroughs in laser induced nuclear excitation experiments, particularly emphasizing the excitation of the $^{229}$ Th, $^{83}$ Kr, and $^{45}$ Sc. These achievements provide essential groundwork for future breakthroughs in both fundamental nuclear science and its broader technological applications.
Subjects:
Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph); Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
arXiv:
2605.16014 [pdf]
0 citations
08
[Submitted on 15 May 2026] (cross-list from hep-ph)
Inclusive charm and bottom quark pair production cross sections at hadron colliders at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy
David d'Enterria🇨🇭 · Felix Hekhorn🇫🇮 · Ilkka Helenius🇫🇮 · Van Dung Le🇫🇮 · Hannu Paukkunen🇫🇮
The inclusive cross sections for charm ( $c c$ ) and bottom ( $b b$ ) quark-antiquark pair production in proton-proton, proton-antiproton, and proton-nucleus collisions are studied over a wide range of center-of-mass energies, $s \approx 10$ GeV--400 TeV. All existing data over $s \approx 10$ GeV--14 TeV are collected and compared to calculations at next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) accuracy using the new fixed-order MaunaKea open-source code for varying sets of parton distribution functions (PDFs). Relative to next-to-leading-order (NLO) predictions, the NNLO cross sections are enhanced by up to a factor of two, with the associated theoretical scale uncertainties reduced by the same amount, leading to agreement with experimental data over the full range of collision energies. The NNLO results are also compared with NLO predictions obtained within the SACOT- $m_{_{T}}$ general-mass variable-flavour-number scheme. Despite still sizable theoretical and experimental uncertainties, $c c$ cross section at multi-TeV energies can provide extra constraints on the gluon density at very small- $x$ in global PDF analyses. In the bottom sector, more precise cross section measurements at low energies, $s \approx 10$ --100 GeV, can help constraint the bottom-quark pole mass.
Comments:
46 pages, 15 figures, 16 tables
Subjects:
High Energy Physics — Phenomenology (hep-ph); High Energy Physics — Experiment (hep-ex); Nuclear Experiment (nucl-ex); Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
arXiv:
2605.16019 [pdf]
1 citation

Affiliations

first authorsco-authorsvia INSPIRE

Sivers Tomography from Charge and Angle Only

Forward hadron production in pp collisions at LHC energies from an event generator based on the color glass condensate framework

Muon Nuclear Data Development Project

Advances in laser-assisted nuclear decay and nuclear excitation

Inclusive charm and bottom quark pair production cross sections at hadron colliders at next-to-next-to-leading-order accuracy

Affiliations